If you are looking for an expert in military and intelligence issues, please see comments from retired Vice Admiral Robert Murrett regarding President Biden’s trip to Asia and the mention of the “United States would intervene militarily if China attempts to take Taiwan by force.” Murrett is available to discuss and offer insight on this issue.
Robert Murrett
Retired Vice Admiral Robert B. Murrett, professor of practice at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and Deputy Director of the Security Policy and Law, was a career intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy, serving in assignments throughout the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East. His duty stations included service as Operational Intelligence Officer for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Assistant Naval Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway, senior intelligence officer for the U.S. Second Fleet and NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic, and Director for Intelligence, U.S. Joint Forces Command. For his last ten years on active duty, he served as Vice Director for Intelligence, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of Naval Intelligence, and Director of the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency (NGA).
At this time, Murrett says:
“There have been several comments since today’s statement by President Biden with respect to defending Taiwan. Having said that, there is merit to maintaining ‘strategic ambiguity’ with respect to the Taiwan issue, and the reassurance he provided has value.
As Richard Haass has pointed out, some foreign policy matters have to be managed and not solved. Taiwan is an example of such a challenge, and one that has, for the most part, been managed successfully over the past several decades. Moreover, we need to maintain our presence in the region and strongly support all of our Allies in east Asia (which, importantly includes treaty obligations to Japan and the Republic of Korea). At the same time we need to work out regional and global issues with the PRC diplomatically – as that course is emphatically in their interest, and the interest of the U.S. and our Allies.”
To schedule an interview with Murrett, please contact Vanessa Marquette, Media Relations Specialist, at vrmarque@syr.edu.
